


Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known

by VictoriaRailroad



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Eventual Romance, Multi, Romance, Vignette
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:20:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27932974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VictoriaRailroad/pseuds/VictoriaRailroad
Summary: Series of vignettes. When a new member of The Old Guard is created, she is taken under the wing of Joe & Nicky. Romance ensues.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolo di Genova/Original Female Character(s), Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known

Nicky was seated at the table, book open in front of him but not reading, his head staring straight forward at the wall, clearly deep in thought. Across the table and down a few seats sat Joe, idly sketching in his journal while gentle violin music played in the background. They were still in Portofino, in the small home they had purchased decades ago. Nicky ran his hand down his face and turned to Joe, waiting to catch his eye. After a few seconds, Joe looked up, pausing in his sketching, and asked,

“What?”, with a slight uptick of his shoulders. 

“So when are we going to talk about the fact that we are both in love with her?” Nicky queried in a resigned tone. Joe sighed and shut his sketchbook, putting it aside. This is the subject that they had both been purposefully not talking about for months now and, by bringing it up, Nicky was breaking the unspoken deal between them. Joe took a deep breath and placed his elbows on the table. He interlaced his hands and placed his chin on top of them, giving Nicky his full attention.

“Is it something we need to talk about?” Joe asked quietly and calmly but the hard undertone could be felt.

“Of course we need to talk about it.” Nicky responded in a gentle but exasperated voice. Before he could finish the sentence, Joe was already shaking his head, exploding with interruptions.

“No we don’t, no we –“ Joe argued.

“Yes, Yusuf!” Nicky interrupted more firmly then he intended. “We must.”

“Why?” Joe retorted. “It will pass. It has passed before and it will pass again.”

Nicky winced at the suggestion, as if this time were like any other that they had brought someone into their relationship.

“That is an unfair thing to say.” Nicky responded, returning to his gentler tone of voice, knowing that if he was going to continue this conversation, one of them needed to remain calm. 

“She is not like the others.” Nicky continued, “And we are not as young and foolish as we once were. We have not even looked outside of ourselves in centuries. This is different. She is one of us.”

“Yes, she is one of us and, yes, she is not like the others. Which is why we cannot talk about it. There is nothing to say. We cannot play with her. She is our family now.” Joe said, heaving his body back into his chair and looking away. “And we together are enough.” Joe gestured between them.

Nicky paused and stared at Joe for a long beat until Joe returned his gaze.

“Yusuf, you know she feels it to. To not discuss it, to not explore the possibility of it, is cruel. For her as well as us. You remember how it felt when we denied ourselves of each other for so long, because of what it meant.” Nicky stretched his arm across the table to hold Joe’s hand in his. “The love was too big to ignore then and it’s getting too big to ignore now.” 

Nicky squeezed Joe’s hand and continued, “And of course we are enough. But we can also be more. You know I am right.”

“You are right that the love is there but three is complicated. Maybe too complicated.” Joe responded, clutching Nicky’s hand in one hand and rubbing his beard with the other. “We cannot break her heart. I would not forgive myself. Or you.” 

“And what if ignoring it breaks her heart?” Nicky spoke. “For us to find each other in our immortal state was fated. How can finding her not be fated as well? And every day it feels like we are inching closer to something deeper.” Nicky paused and squeezed Joe’s hand again. “I know it’s frightening. You frightened me at first. And you are also the biggest joy of my life, the truest gift I could ever receive. And now we have been given another gift. And we are a gift to her as well. She has lost everything, and she is being so strong, trying so hard to hide her sadness behind all her smiles. And we are keeping ourselves from her.” 

Joe blew a forced puff of air through his lips and Nicky smiled, knowing that he had convinced him. 

“You are intolerable. And a romantic fool.” Joe stated while rolling his eyes and pulling his hand away from Nicky’s to rub both hands over his face and through his hair. Nicky’s smile widened.

“It is because I spend all of my time with a romantic fool.” Nicky teased. 

“How do you suppose we go about this?” Joe inquired.

“Well I do not suggest repeating the way we handled it.” Nicky countered.

“What?!” Joe responded with feigned shock. “You don’t think she wants to be stabbed to death and then make out covered in each other’s blood.”  
“No.” Nicky answered curtly with no hint of playfulness. “I was thinking we could take her to that restaurant by the water and just tell her the truth. Be plain with her. The way I wish we would have been with each other.”

Nicky’s face held a wistful sadness to it that compelled Joe to stand up and walk over to him so that he could cradle his head to his chest. Nicky wrapped his arms around Joe’s waist and breathed heavy into his shirt, grateful to have finally come to a decision. Joe laid his cheek on the crown of Nicky’s head, both comforting each other with caresses. 

The moment was interrupted by the door in the next room clumsily and forcibly swinging open. Lizzy was still struggling with the art of stealth. Her bungling entrance earned a laugh from both men as they turned to watch her make her way to them in the dining area.

“Well hello, gentlemen.” She greeted them flirtatiously. “And what are we up to…?” She asked while raising any eyebrow.

Joe released Nicky and turned to her fully, placing his hand on her chin. “We were actually discussing where we are taking you for dinner tonight.” He said. 

“We were thinking the place down by the water with the wine you like.” Nicky added, looking meaningfully at her.

Lizzy encircled the wrist of the hand that Joe had placed on her chin. The air in the room settled and felt serious all of a sudden. Weighted.

“Ok.” Lizzy responded quietly with a hint of tightness in her chest, “I’ll go get changed.” She exited the room backwards, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. 

Once they could hear her bedroom door close, Joe turned to Nicky, leaning on the table with his hand on his stomach.

“Fuck, why do I feel so nervous? I’m too old to be this nervous.”

Nicky laughed and drew Joe in for a quick kiss on the lips then on the cheek.

“It will all be alright”. Nicky whispered into his ear.


End file.
